"The Department will perceive that this is the twenty-second steamer lost by the rebels and the blockade runners attempting to violate the blockade of Wilmington within the last six months, an average of nearly one steamer every eight days. These losses must greatly lessen the means of the rebel authorities to export cotton, obtain supplies, and sustain their credit, and thus dispirit and weaken them very much. "I have the honor to be, Sir, "Very respectfully yours, "S.P. Lee, "_Acting Rear Admiral_, "_Comdg. North Atlantic Blockading Squadron_. "Hon. Gideon Welles, "_Secretary of the Navy_, "_Washington, D.C._" "U.S.S. 'Aries,' "Off Little River, "_January 12, 1864_. "Sir: I would most respectfully report that the steamer stranded between Tubb's Inlet and Little River is the blockade runner _Vesta_. Boarded her this a.m.; made a hawser fast to her, but on examining her found her whole starboard side opened and several of the plates split; took two anchors from her, which was all we could save. "The _Vesta_ was exactly like the _Ceres_. "I left her a complete wreck, with five feet of water in her. Her boats lay on the beach badly stove. "Very respectfully, your obedient servant, "Edward F. Devens, "_Acting Volunteer Lieutenant, Commanding_." "Wilmington, N.C., _January 27, 1864_. "My Dear Sir: In Bermuda I took command of a splendid merchant steamer, called the _Ranger_, for the passage to Wilmington. I had very heavy weather and no observation for the first three days out. On the fourth got sights which put me at noon eighty miles southeast from lightship off Frying Pan Shoals. I went ahead full speed in heavy sea to sight the light early in the night, but the Yankees had put it out, and fearing the drift of the Gulf, I determined to run inshore and anchor during the next day (10th instant) and ascertain my position accurately, which I did, and landed my passengers and baggage. On the morning of the 11th, at 12.25 a.m., I got underway and ran along the coast for the bar near Fort Caswell. When eight miles from the fort I made the _Minnesota_ about one mile off, and whilst observing her motions the pilot (who had charge of the ship) suddenly sheered her inshore, and in an instant she was in the breakers. I made every effort to get her off, but unavailingly, so you see a couple of turns of a wheel in the hands of a timid man lost a fine ship and a valuable cargo. She was destroyed. I was loaded for Government. "Your obedient servant, "George W. Gift." The "Spunkie."